Welcome to sojournmusic.com’s weekly worship music set list review. This set list is from yesterday’s worship service here in Louisville’s Sojourn Church. You’ll not only read a list of the songs we led, but also the readings and prayers from our liturgy. Photos today courtesy Troy Harvey. These photos capture the celebration of our brand new second service at Sojourn East, located in Louisville’s East End.
You can find links to the set lists of this church and many other churches each week in the Worship Blog Carnival at theworshipcommunity.com. And you can learn about some of the songs we sing at Sojourn Gathered each week in advance of the Sunday service by reading my “Getting Ready For Sunday” post each Thursday at Sojourn’s online journal, TravelBlog.
Call to Worship reading:
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, a day that celebrates love and relationships. Many of us
enjoy celebrating and buying gifts for our loved ones. Some of us dread it because of
love lost or loneliness. A few of you totally forgot it was tomorrow and are going to run
out after services to buy candy & flowers. Today- be reminded of the love that is open
to us all in Jesus Christ. It is a love that never fails or disappoints. God created us to be
in a relationship with Him and to know and experience His great love.
Stand with me and hear His Word for His children:
The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing
love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.
He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we
deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.
The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear
him.
For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.
Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
The wind blows, and we are gone—as though we had never been here.
But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. – Psalm 103:8-17
Song: Creation Sings the Father’s Love written by Stuart Townend, Keith & Kristyn Getty. This is a good “sung response” to the call to worship — a declaration of God’s power over creation, and His coming renewal of all things:
Creation longs for His return
When Christ shall reign upon the earth
The bitter wars that rage
Are birth pangs of a coming age.
Song: Here is Love written by William Rees, Robert Lowry and Matt Redman. This is another declaration of love, and a song of assurance in Christ’s sufficient sacrifice:
On the mount of crucifixion
Fountains opened deep and wide
Through the floodgates of God’s mercy
Flower a vast and gracious tide
Prayer:
Lord, You are gracious and kind, Holy and loving.
You draw us near to You and adopt us as your children.
We confess our sin before you and acknowledge our need for your mercy.
Forgive us for our disobedience.
Forgive us for listening to Satan, the Father of lies.
Forgive us for settling for an inheritance of perishable things.
Forgive us for running away from you and abandoning the family you created us for.
We are weary from the burdens of life and the weight of our sin. Call us home to you,
Father.
By the blood of Jesus, our sins are paid for. In His resurrection we are invited into a
life of hope and renewal in God’s family. Draw us closer to you Father and remind us
of your promises and the peace you offer. Amen.
Song: There is A Peace written by Sojourn’s own Charlie Richardson. We recorded this as a song of assurance on the liturgically-themed 2007 album Before The Throne. You can hear “There Is A Peace” in its entirety from our Before The Throne Bandcamp page.
Assurance/Peace:
Because He loves us, God gives us home in His family:
We are no longer strangers and foreigners. We are citizens along with all of God’s
holy people. We are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on
the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus
himself. – Ephesians 2:19-20
We’re not some random group of people anymore. We’re God’s family. We stand
together as brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, and children in the faith
together. Being family means we love each other unconditionally, we look out for each
other, and we welcome each other into life together. Let’s practice that now by
welcoming those around you.
Giving:
Hear God’s word for you:
How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother
or sister in need and yet refuses to help? Dear children, let us love,not in word or
speech, but also in truth and action. —from 1 John 3:17-18
We continue now to respond to God’s love by giving of our physical means. In the
passage we just read John literally challenges us to put our money where our mouth is.
As Christians who profess God’s love and cling to it, let us respond by supporting the
work of His Church. By the gifts we give today, Sojourn can continue to reach out to
this city and to the world with the love of Christ. Pray with me:
Merciful Father, we offer
with joy and thanksgiving what you have first given us—
our selves, our time, and our possessions—signs of your gracious love.
Receive them for the sake of him who offered himself for us—
Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Ushers will now begin to pass the offer buckets down the rows.
Song: All You Saints, Adopted Ones written by our own Brooks Ritter, Jamie Barnes and Mike Cosper, based on Gadsby Hymn 624.
You hear the wearied groans for rest
You lift the orphans, call them blessed
You gave Christ’s blood my righteousness,
Let all the world to Him confess …
Then our pastor preached “Family,” as part of our Faithmapping sermon series. “Family” is the second of five identities of the church. For the past two weeks we examined the first identity, “Worshipers.” You can always hear Sojourn sermons through our free Sojourn Church podcast on iTunes, or in the Resource library of sojournchurch.com.
Song: How Deep the Father’s Love For Us written by Stuart Townend. This classic modern hymn was our communion song of the week.
Why should I gain from his reward? I cannot give an answer.
But this I know with all my heart: His wounds have paid my ransom.
Song: The World Will Know written by Sojourn’s Mike Cosper and Brooks Ritter, adapted from several Isaac Watts hymns. You’ll hear this one soon on The Hymns Of Isaac Watts, Part Two. It’s a soaring anthem, and we think you’ll love it.
Reading:
Our expression of love to each other as family is rooted in God’s expressed love in Jesus.
Hear this:
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and
forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the
Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all
together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as
members of one body you were called to peace. – Colossians 3: 12-15
Song: Fellowship So Deep written by Aaron Senseman and Kinley Lange. We’ve sung this one in many parts of Sojourn Gathered worship services. Here, we used it as a song for the Sending:
We can feel his love among us;
We can sing redemption’s song.
We can hear the Spirit call us
To a place where we belong
Benediction: As adopted sons and daughters in God’s family, go in the love and
unity of The Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Peace be with you all.
